title: Gemcitabine: a new approach to treating pancreatic cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the clinical benefit and nursing considerations of the new anticancer agent gemcitabine hydrochloride in the treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Peer-reviewed publications, books.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Unsatisfactory tools for assessment of pancreatic cancer have led to the development of a novel end point, "clinical benefit," to assess improvements in disease-related symptoms and performance status. The first clinical studies to use this end point assessed gemcitabine, Results showed that 24% of patients on gemcitabine were clinical benefit responders compared to 5% of patients on 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). In patients refractory to 5-FU, 27% showed a clinical benefit response to gemcitabine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gemcitabine provides significantly better clinical benefit than standard treatment for pancreatic cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinical benefit assessments rely on oncology nurses to classify the response to treatment in addition to managing the side effects.
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Stephens
mesh_terms: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D006801:Humans; D009859:Oncology Nursing; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000451:nursing; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D000093542:Gemcitabine
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000093542:Gemcitabine